Paterson NJ police recently captured a suspect who allegedly committed a carjacking outside a Wendy’s restaurant. The stolen reportedly had three young kids in the backseat.

The auto theft reportedly occurred shortly after 8:00 a.m. in the parking lot of a Wendy’s restaurant located at 145 Broadway in Paterson, New Jersey. (This is near Paterson police headquarters, which are also located on Broadway in Paterson, NJ.)

As the driver exited the vehicle, the suspect allegedly jumped into the car and attempted to drive off. The driver, who is the mother of the three young kids who were in the backseat at the time of the auto theft, grabbed onto the steering wheel. She was subsequently dragged on the road and sustained minor injuries.

A motorist who happened to be passing by saw the carjacking and followed the stolen car until it stopped on Goffle Road in Hawthorne NJ and took the kids out of the vehicle. The children were later evaluated at a local hospital, as was their mother.

The suspect allegedly took the stolen car to a 7-Eleven on Goffle Road, where he reportedly stole another motor vehicle. According to authorities, he then drove that car to the Westfield Garden State Plaza in Paramus NJ. That’s where law enforcement apprehended the suspect and placed him under arrest.

It is very possible that the suspect will soon be formally charged with carjacking. If he is convicted of carjacking, he will face severe criminal penalties. As set forth by N.J.S.A. 2C:15-2, carjacking is a special kind of first degree crime that carries enhanced penalties. A conviction on first degree carjacking charges could lead to a sentence of 30 years in New Jersey State Prison.

For more information about this case, see the NJ.com article, “Carjacker Steals Car with 3 Kids Inside, Cops Say.”